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London residents are one of the most unhygienic in Britain: Poll results

London residents have today been revealed as one of the most unhygienic in Britain, according to a poll of 4,000 adults by Wet Ones to launch National Hand Hygiene Awareness Week.

26 Oct 2009

Poll results reveal Bristol residents as the most unhygienic in Britain

Bristol residents have today been revealed as the most unhygienic in Britain, according to a poll of 4,000 adults by Wet Ones to launch National Hand Hygiene Awareness Week.

26 Oct 2009

Winner of first annual Healthcare Administrator Award announced

Deborah Friberg, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of WakeMed Health and Hospitals, Raleigh, North Carolina, has been named the recipient of the first annual Healthcare Administrator Award, presented by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). The award recognizes a healthcare facility's executive team member who has demonstrated significant support for infection prevention and control throughout their facility.

20 Oct 2009

Hospital visitation policy to reduce the spread of H1N1 flu

Due to the severity of the H1N1 flu and its potential to spread to patients, children and expectant mothers, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Stanford Hospital & Clinics announced today that effective Monday, October 19, 2009, both hospitals will no longer allow non-patient visitors or family members under the age of 16 inside the hospitals.

15 Oct 2009

SHEA urges CDC to remove the use of N95 respirators from its recommendations for routine care

Today's announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that it is modifying its guidance regarding measures that should be taken by healthcare workers who are in contact with either confirmed or suspected cases of H1N1 was met with concern by the scientific community that had submitted its recommendations to CDC.

15 Oct 2009

National Health Care Compliance Training Week to educate healthcare organizations

Health Care Compliance Strategies, Inc. (HCCS) announced today that it will celebrate National Health Care Compliance Training Week, October 26th through November 1st, by providing free unlimited access to the HCCS Infection Control multimedia online training course and a special Expert Webinar on preventing Identity Theft in healthcare organizations.

9 Oct 2009

The Prescription Center Pharmacy launches 'Be Prepared, Not Scared' campaign

The Prescription Center Pharmacy, headquartered in Beverly Hills, California announced its “Be Prepared, Not Scared” campaign today. The purpose of the campaign is to help both businesses and consumers stay healthy, without dramatically changing their daily routines. Dr. Afshin Nassir, the pharmacy’s Founder and CEO, states that “We want to help businesses and consumers create a realistic plan to deal with the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Virus, which is now, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), at a Pandemic stage.”

8 Oct 2009

Swine Flu prevention tips from California dentists

In keeping with the global effort to limit the spread of the Swine Flu, the California Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA) issued a list today of simple ways patients and oral health professionals can prevent catching and spreading the disease.

8 Oct 2009

Majority of Americans believe they are well-protected from H1N1

A new Harris poll, commissioned by SCA Tissue North America’s Tork® brand, reveals that 74 percent of U.S. adults say it is unlikely they will contract H1N1 this year.

5 Oct 2009

Doctors battle proposed penalties for heavy use of tests

"Doctors are trying to remove a provision in the Senate's latest health bill that would cut Medicare payments to those who administer the most tests and treatments," The Wall Street Journal reports. "The proposal -- aimed at reducing waste -- is one of several proposals in the bill by the Senate Finance Committee that could change how doctors are evaluated and paid."

3 Oct 2009

Study shows students do not follow proper hygiene routines

Thousands of bacteria lurk in college dormitories, but students are not following proper hygiene routines to help protect themselves from serious illness, according to a study released today from the Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community, sponsored by an educational grant from LYSOL® brand products.

1 Oct 2009

Good hand hygiene can eliminate bacterial contamination in computer devices

Although hospital computer equipment can act as a reservoir for pathogenic organisms, including MRSA, researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases found that bacterial contamination rates from computer equipment were low, possibly as the result of good hand hygiene.

1 Oct 2009

Hygafem's hand sanitizing program launched at Morehouse College

Hygafem, Inc., the Georgia-based premier provider of touch-free workplace wellness technologies and services, has successfully launched its hand sanitizing program at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. Hygafem’s touch-free hand sanitizing program decreases the risk of spreading disease, ensures safe and healthy facilities, and boosts satisfaction for students and employees at Morehouse College.

29 Sep 2009

Infections due to handwashing failures cause 100,000 deaths annually

At Bay Medical Center in Panama City, Florida, Compirion Healthcare Solutions, a healthcare consulting firm that was engaged to help improve ED Throughput, Finance and Core Measures compliance, found only 30% of the staff regularly washed their hands between visits with patients.

17 Sep 2009

Wireless sensor being studied at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center

A wireless, credit-card-sized sensor that can detect whether health care workers have properly washed their hands upon entering a patient's room is being studied at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. The device could greatly reduce the number of hospital acquired infections nationwide since most are transmitted through contact due to poor hand-washing practice.

17 Sep 2009

Wash and dry hands to fight against H1N1

Countries around the world are trying to tackle the escalating H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic in different ways. Advice from all authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), remains the same: good hand hygiene, particularly in public places. Despite this, there are still too few people who know how to wash and dry their hands in the most hygienic way.

14 Sep 2009

The Joint Commission to launch Center for Transforming Healthcare

Teaming up with top hospitals and health systems across the country to use new methods to find the causes of and put a stop to dangerous and potentially deadly breakdowns in patient care, The Joint Commission is launching the Center for Transforming Healthcare.

11 Sep 2009

Proper hand hygiene will prevent deaths due to healthcare associated infections

Ecolab Inc. announced today it is partnering with the Joint Commission’s new Center for Transforming Healthcare to support a study to improve hand hygiene. The goal of the study, which will be conducted at eight leading hospitals and health systems, is to eliminate hand hygiene as a cause of healthcare associated infections (HAIs).

11 Sep 2009

Students do not comply with basic preventative measures to combat H1N1

As public health experts warn of potential widespread outbreaks of H1N1 flu this school year, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that students do not comply with basic preventative measures as much as they think do. In other words, the kids aren't washing their hands.

11 Sep 2009

Survey reveals that hand-washing behaviors are poor despite H1N1 swine flu

With the White House estimating that 30 to 50 percent of Americans will contract H1N1 flu this season, you’d think more people would be focused on prevention.

10 Sep 2009